


The Vines Connecting Us

by BandaBecca



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:22:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13919289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BandaBecca/pseuds/BandaBecca
Summary: Inquisitor Levellan feels too distant from her Clan to ever go back to the way things were. But with the help of her Commander, she realises that finding something new can be even more beautiful.





	The Vines Connecting Us

**Author's Note:**

> Quizzie Olivier (oh-LIV-ee-ay)
> 
> Check out my BandaBecca Tumblr for more!
> 
> And thank you for reading! Enjoy! <3

I dumped the shards from my pack, the dull silver worn and holding no shine, not even back when I’d been given the brooch by the Keeper. Now alone in my quarters, I could examine the damage in its entirety without the others asking questions I didn’t want to answer. They wouldn’t understand, not even Dorian. 

I leaned back, sitting on the floor, legs under me, the pieces in a cluster on the stone. I squeezed my eyes closed tight, pushing the heel of my hands into them and ignoring the deep ache from the pressure. 

‘Olivier?’ A voice spoke softly near my left ear.

I jumped, wiping my nose. ‘Forgive me. I didn’t hear you come in.’

Cullen was crouched near me, eyes level with mine. He placed his hand on my shoulder. ‘What’s this?’ He gestured to the shattered pieces. 

I looked down at them. I didn’t answer at first. ‘It’s…a brooch.’

He studied it a moment longer. ‘It looks Elven.’

‘It was the only thing I had left of the Clan. Even the clothes I was wearing when I left for the Conclave—they were burned away when they were splattered in varghest venom a few months ago. I didn’t have…I don’t have anything else from my life there. I know I told you that I always wanted more than the life I would have had there, but I…I don’t—I have to go back eventually, even if it’s not to stay. My sister had a baby the spring before the Conclave and—'

He grabbed under my chin and turned me to face him. Maybe it was because he was more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for. Or maybe he knew me well enough by now. ‘I understand that it was special to you, but just because it’s broken doesn’t mean your link to your Clan is broken too. This is just a thing, it’s not an indicator of whether or not you still belong to your Clan.’

‘But I can’t go back there, not really. My life has been changed too much. I’ve known since Haven that my time with the Clan was over.’ I swiped a hand across my cheek. 

His hand travelled down my arm and took mine, still fisted at my side. He worked the fingers lose and closed them in his own. ‘I’m sorry you feel disconnected your roots. But finding a new purpose in your life can take you somewhere new, better. To places that you can’t image yet sitting here on the floor in Skyhold.’ His gaze held me in place, and his eyes were unguarded like I’d never seen them—even other times when we were alone. ‘You’re still Levellan, and that won’t change. Your Clan isn’t going anywhere. You’ll always be theirs and they’ll always be yours.’

How could I respond? What words were there in the Common Tongue which could fully embody how grateful I was that he’d come up to my quarters tonight? How I didn’t think it was my desperation for him to be right that made me believe him? 

I leaned toward him, reaching my arms up to wrap around his neck. His…closeness caught my breath, the heat of his neck touching mine, the caress of his mantle against the exposed skin of my chest, the cool press of his armour against my breasts. My breath fluttered his hair as I whispered, ‘Thank you.’ 

I pulled away slowly, the candle on my desk too far to illuminate his features completely. The flames played tricks on his face, eyebrows turned up in an open expression, a slight colour in his cheeks. 

He cleared his throat. ‘Anyway, no one in Thedas could lead us—do as much good as you have.’ His voice faded away, and he rubbed the back of his neck. 

I flushed under the praise regardless. ‘Did you—you probably came here for a reason I distracted you from.’

‘Oh.’ He looked to either side of him before standing, gathering papers off the bed. ‘I have a handful of reports I thought you should look at. The first ones which came in seemed to describe demons, but the more I read, the more I’m wondering if there may be Darkspawn in the Western Approach. I thought I might measure your account against these.’

 

I sat on the railing of my balcony, strangely intrigued by a book over the history of Mabari breeding in Ferelden.

A knock on the door below was barely audible, and I called out, ‘Come in!’ I closed the book, dropping it on the floor gently. ‘I’m on the balcony.’

It was only a few moments more before Cullen came around the corner. ‘Maker’s Breath! Why are you sitting like that? One gust of wind and we’ve lost the mo—the only way to seal the rifts.’

I slipped down, the stone cold on my bare feet, the wind blowing my nightgown around me. Cullen and I had been dancing around each other for weeks, especially since the night he had found me with the brooch. I hadn’t seen the pieces since then, though I hadn’t had the heart to look for them under the bed where they surely now were. Seeing them in pieces would mean thinking about it being broken, and I wasn’t ready to face it again just yet, even after what Cullen said to me that night. With him here now, standing in my quarters, the heat between us was unbearable. Any time he was in the same room with me, I couldn’t stop imagining touching him. Everywhere. And now we were alone.

‘What were you about to say?’ I took a few more steps toward him. Closing the gap between us, I didn’t touch him, but our bodies were just hair’s breadth away. I turned my face up to his, eyes purposefully dashing to his mouth. 

He stumbled a half step back and fumbled with the ties of his mantle. I swallowed and took a step back too, trying not to show the hurt. He held up a small brown cloth bag, the light from the sunset making it appear slightly pinker. ‘I have something for you.’

I took the bag from him sceptically. It was heavier than I expected, and I looked up at him, unsure how to react to a gift immediately after he’d stepped away from my advance. 

His eyes went to the bag. ‘Open it.’

I pulled the ties loose and emptied the contents into my hand. It looked different, but I recognised it immediately. My voice was a whisper. ‘My…’ brooch. But it wasn’t a brooch any longer. The metal had been reworked and reshaped into a ring. Intricate vines curled away and around the emerald which had been the centre piece of the brooch. I slipped it over my fourth finger, the vines wrapping around snuggly.

‘I hope it’s ok I took the pieces that night. I thought…It has all the original pieces of the Clan, but it’s been reshaped into something new. I thought it was a bit like you. Maybe that sounds a bit…’ he rubbed that back of his neck.

My breath came out a rush of air. ‘Thank you.’ I held the ring against my heart. It felt like everything he said it was. It was…perfect. 

‘Do you…like it?’ He asked, head bent down toward me. 

‘It’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received.’ I said truthfully.

I hugged him quickly, holding my hand up behind his back to glimpse the ring once more. 

I pulled away, one arm lingering on his. ‘We’re giving each other jewellery now?’

‘O-Oh, I hadn’t meant…there wasn’t much material to work with, so Harritt and I had to make something small—’

I pinched him on the arm. ‘I’m teasing. It was jewellery to start with anyway.’

He smiled, but his cheeks stayed red. 

‘How did you—where did this idea come from?’

His expression cleared. ‘You were so upset that night. I had to…I know I said that things are just things, but I know that some things are more important than others. I can’t…I can’t wish you back to your Clan, not when I feel as I do—and I know that makes me selfish but…I thought if you can’t go back right now, you could still have some of Clan Levellan here with you.’

The blood rang in my ears. ‘When you feel as you do?’

He slowly raised his hand to the nape of my neck. ‘I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t focus on anything when you’re gone. When you return after weeks away, I stay in my office even when I hear the cheers outside because I know that if I was down there close to you…where I could…’ as he spoke, he leaned closer with each word until he was close enough that his breath caressed my lips. Now that the moment had come, I didn’t feel nervous, only eager. I wanted him to touch me, and I didn’t want to wait in torment a moment longer than I already had. 

I closed my eyes and stood on my toes until I felt the warmth of his lips. His few-days old beard brushed against my skin, and the sensation sent a current through my skin. I fisted my hands in the fur of his mantle pulling him against me harder.

His other hand circled my waist to my back, my hips pressing on his. I sighed sharply. Surely he had come here because he had time away from reports. Surely he came her because he planned to stay a while. Surely I wasn’t the only one feeling as if their skin was erupting in flame. 

With a hand against his chest plate, I pushed him into the room. I danced around him to grab his hand and pull him to the bed. Before I could pull him on top of me, his body was against me, pinning me against the bed post. His lips closed over my neck with a sigh, and I tilted my head back, fingers sifting through his hair.

He felt sure and solid and undeniable against the disbelief pumping through my blood. I wanted every inch, every sigh, every grasp.

I yanked the belt of his mantle loose, reaching up and shoving it off his shoulders. My fingers had opened more difficult locks than the buckles on his armour, and soon he was helping me lift it over his head. I didn’t hesitate to remove the tunic next before stopping and catching my breath. His eyes were locked on mine, the last rays of the sun making all his edges glow. I traced his shoulders with my fingertips down his arms. 

He placed a gentle kiss on my lips as he reached up to the thin strap of my night gown. He pulled away and looked down at me. ‘I’d like to…may I…?’

I nodded, breath quickening, a short-lived jolt of fear at being so exposed. 

He pulled the straps around my shoulders and let it fall. The fabric settled around my feet, only my small clothes remaining. 

‘M-Maker’s Breath,’ he said, eyes traveling over every inch of me. 

I reached for his hand, putting the fingers to my lips, his eyes focusing on mine once again. I stood on my toes to kiss him and lowered his hand placing it firmly over my breast. He pulled away from the kiss, our foreheads still touching as he groaned. ‘Olivier…’

His hand closed, gently pressing the nipple between two fingers. It was a kind of whine which escaped my mouth under the pressure, and his body woke to mine. 

In a breathless moment, I was on my back on the bed, his lips and tongue journeying over my chest. His tongue flicked over a nipple, his lips closing over it immediately after. I moaned, arching my back into him. He braced himself on his elbow near my head, the other arm around my back, pinning our chests together. I looped my thumbs in my smalls, pulling them down low enough so I could kick them off. 

He felt the movement, his hand slowly grazing down my stomach and through my curls. Two fingers slipped into my slit, stroking me fully before pushing a finger inside, his breath against my ear the only sensation grounding me from losing myself to dizziness. I moaned long, muscles going slack.

‘C-Cullen—’ my fingernails pressed into the ridges of the muscles on his back. He stood briefly, untying the laces of his trousers. I leaned up on my elbows, watching as his cock sprung free. He stepped out of his trousers, moving to lean over me once again. I suddenly felt shy, but the thought of satisfying this ache to join our bodies was stronger than any other feeling. My hands moved down his ribs as his lips explored my collar bone. I reached lower and wrapped my hand firmly around his cock.

His body tensed, and he groaned. Heartened by the sound, I pumped a few times, his breath going ragged. 

‘Wait. I’m sorry, I—I don’t want to finish too soon and you’re so—’

I understood. I pushed my fingers through his, squeezing his hand tightly. ‘I want you inside me. Now.’

His pupils dilated, and he kissed me hard. He grabbed his cock and lined himself against me.

‘Just—’ I hesitated, and he looked up at me, ‘go slow at first.’

His face softened, and he nodded. His eyes lingered on mine.

‘All right.’

With one more soft kiss, he pushed inside of me. It didn’t hurt like I’d expected it to, but there was a dull ache overwhelmed by the delicious feeling of being full of him. 

I pressed my forehead against his, our breaths mingling. I waited a moment longer before rolling my hips against his stillness. 

He pulled out almost completely before pushing into me again. I took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered, ‘Take me, Cullen.’

He growled, thrusting in earnest. The pleasure built from the base of my spine, spreading slowly to the tips of every part of me. Cullen’s breathing began sounding more wild—animalistic—when I put a hand on his chest to slow him. His eyes checked over me for any sign of pain. But that wasn’t it. With a firm hand, I pushed his shoulders to guide him off me and onto his back.

I settled my hips over his, his cock twitching inside me. I traced his lips with my tongue.

I rolled my hips against his, his cock sliding against the sweet spot inside me with each movement. He scrunched his eyes tight, his hands rushing to my hips, fingers sinking into the soft flesh. I reached a finger to my clit making fast circles as I leaned down over him closing my lips over the shell of his ear. His fingertips dug into my hips, his breath hissing through his teeth. 

There was white around the edge of my vision when Cullen’s fingers replaced mine. I moaned his name into his ear as the pleasure built up and crested. I tightened my legs around him, my moans turning to sharp cries. His every breath turned to a groan as he spilled inside me, our bliss joining in a perfect moment.

My hips stilled, and I fell forward on his chest, his arms coming around me. Neither of us spoke for a moment as we caught our breath. My head was on his shoulder as I glanced to my right hand, the stone shining inside the silvery web.

I smiled and buried my head against his neck, the tightening of his arms around me pressing me ever closer.


End file.
